Symptoms When symptoms appear The time from the initial malaria infection until symptoms appear (incubation

period) generally ranges 1 from: 9 to 14 days for Plasmodium (P.) falciparum. 12 to 18 days for P. vivax and P. ovale. 18 to 40 days for P. malariae. 11 to 12 days for P. knowlesi. Symptoms can appear in 7 days. Occasionally, the time between exposure and signs of illness may be as long as 8 to 10 months with P. vivax and P. ovale. The incubation period may be longer if you are taking medicine to prevent infection (chemoprophylaxis) or because you have some immunity due to previous infections. Variation in symptoms In regions where malaria is present, people may have the disease but-due to immunity-they have few or 2 no symptoms. The severity of malaria symptoms can also vary depending on your general health, what kind of malaria parasite you have, and whether you still have your spleen. Common symptoms of malaria In the early stages, malaria symptoms are sometimes similar to those of many other infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Symptoms may include: Fever. Chills. Headache. Sweats. Fatigue. Nausea and vomiting. Symptoms may appear in cycles and may come and go at different intensities and for different lengths of time. But, especially at the beginning of the illness, the symptoms may not follow this typical pattern. The cyclic pattern of malaria symptoms is due to the life cycle of malaria parasites as they develop, reproduce, and are released from the red blood cells and livercells in the human body. This cycle of symptoms is also one of the major indicators that you are infected with malaria. Other common symptoms of malaria Other common symptoms of malaria include: Dry (nonproductive) cough. Muscle and/or back pain. Enlarged spleen. In rare cases, malaria can lead to impaired function of the brain or spinal cord, seizures, or loss of consciousness. Infection with the P. falciparum parasite is usually more serious and may becomelife-threatening. There are other conditions with symptoms similar to a malarial infection. It is important that you see your doctor to discover the cause of your symptoms.

Plasmodium Vivax Symptoms

Plasmodium vivax is one of four species of plasmodium that cause malaria in humans. It is transmitted via the bite of an infected mosquito and causes debilitating cycles of fever and chills, as well as anemia. P. vivax is the most common cause of malaria outside of Africa, and is becoming increasingly prevalent as environmental conditions become more favorable for its transmission.

Life Cycle

The parasite's life cycle inside its human host causes symptoms of a P. vivax infection. P. vivax becomes injected into a human's blood stream when an infected mosquito takes a blood meal; from there, the parasite invades the liver cells and the red blood cells, and begins to reproduce. Each round of replication ends in the destruction of the infected cells, as P. vivax bursts forth to begin the cycle anew. A single round of replication takes approximately 42 hours, and is closely linked to the periodicity of the fevers associated with vivax malaria.

Cycles of Fever

The malaria caused by P. vivax is an acute and painful illness. The fevers associated with this malaria occur in regular and well-defined cycles of 48 hours, beginning with violent chills and leading to fevers and profuse sweating. An entire episode can last from 4 to 8 hours, and the fevers can reach peaks of 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit. These symptoms, while typical to all forms of malaria, are much more intense in vivax malaria.

Anemia

P. vivax also causes anemia, which, although rarely life-threatening, can have economic consequences by rendering people unable to work. This anemia is caused in part by P. vivax's life cycle, wherein the parasite invades its human host's red blood cells. However, the physical destruction of red blood cells by P. vivax does not entirely explain the low levels of red blood cells associated with vivax malaria, and the true causes of malarial anemia remain poorly understood.

Malaria (plasmodium vivax)

Malaria (plasmodiosis). Malaria coused by coccidia is the most serious parasite infestation on the world scale, taking into consideration its range and mortality. Malaria is caused by four species of Plasmodium: P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae i P. falciarum. They have a complicated life cycle consisting in asexual reproduction in human hepatocytes and erythrocytes, and gamogonic and sporogonic reproduction in gnats from the anopheles group. The incubation period lasts usually 8 15 days (28 37 in case of P.malariae infestation). The majority of P.falciparum infestations show symptoms a month after infection, however some strains, for instance P. vivax might show symptoms even after a year. Massive fight against malaria, started by the UNO in 1953, led to its elimination in many countries, nevertheless 40% of the world population live in areas where it spreads easily. It is estimated that there are about 273 million cases of malaria infections all over the world, over a million of which end with death. Only in Africa 800 thousand children under 5 die because of this disease. Different environmental factors like: temperature, amplitude, humidity, access to water, peoples immunity, geneticlly fixed characters of erythrocytes determine the occurance of Anopheles and Plasmodium. In order to reduce the number of deaths caused by malaria it is significant to recognise infestation. The most serious complication of P.falciparum infection is brain malaria. It usually starts with anxiety, sanity disorders and convulsions. The infected usually fall into a coma within a couple of hours or days and 20 50 % of them die. Nowadays, millions of genetically modified gnats are released in selected areas in order to fight this dangerous disease. For a long time, scientists have been working on producing a mosquito that will not be a malaria host or one that will not like the taste of human blood. The research will last for a long time yet but it proves how serious the problem is. Over time a malaria protozoon becomes resistant to drugs. Some medicines can be on the market only for a few years then they lose their efficiency compared with other drugs. The production of new ones takes years and costs millions of dollars. Every year, more people die of malaria than of tuberculosis, AIDS or meningitis altogether. These are 300 mln cases 1 mln of which will probably die. Malaria protozoons attack liver cells, red blood cells and lead to death if not cured. There are many drugs on the market that effectively treat and prevent the disease but because of insufficient knowlege about their usage they might not be as helpful as they should. On average, one of four children dying Africa dies of malaria. Pregnant women are two or three times more prone to infection. It is also more likely for them die of malaria. Malaria symptoms: chills increased body temperature over 40C headache

muscle pains diarrhoea ample sweats anaemia

Infection sources Malaria is transmitted by mosquitos and part of the protozoon life cycle takes place inside the insect. The protozoon before reaching its invasive form goes through many transformations inside the gnat. Their speed depends on temperature. The most immune protozoon to low temperature is Plasmodium vivax. During a gnat bite, malaria sporozoites, which are able to grow up only in a human body, get into the human organism along with the insects spit. They move with the circulation system to such organs like: the liver, the spleen, the pancreas and the brain capillary vessels. Inside the attacked cells, numerous divisions take place then the protozoons go to the blood cells, inside which they go through another transformations. When the infected person is bitten, the gnat will take in sporozoites along with the blood and the final development will take place in the insects body. The cycle will repeat when the gnat bites another person.

Complications might occur in the early and late stages of the disease Early: severe anaemia hypoglycemia haemorrhagic condition kidney failure spleen rhexis shock brain malaria respiratory failure

Late: nephrotic syndrome hyperactive malaria syndrome with hypersplenism pericardial fibrosis Burkitts lymphoma